On Thursday 8 October 2026, the Australian Lion and Sun Association hosted “A Voice Beyond the Prison Walls” at AliQapu in Melbourne. Bringing together Victorian Liberal parliamentarians and candidates, Amnesty International representatives and ALSA members, the intimate dinner provided an opportunity for a frank conversation about Iran, the isolation felt by its people, and the urgent need for meaningful international support.
Held ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October, the evening had a clear humanitarian purpose: to ask political representatives to consider sponsoring Iranian prisoners facing execution and use their voices and connections to help protect lives.
Dr Mediya Rangi, ALSA’s Spokesperson and Communications Lead, guided the conversation. She introduced the association’s work across culture, community engagement and advocacy, and thanked guests for making time to listen. ALSA emphasised the value of their involvement and their potential to bring these concerns to federal colleagues and wider international attention.
Understanding the urgency
The discussion began with an overview of 47 years of repression under the Islamic Republic, the Iranian people’s continuing struggle for freedom, and the escalating brutality used to suppress successive uprisings.
ALSA spoke about the relationship between that repression and the use of executions to intimidate communities and silence dissent. We emphasised the human consequences: people deprived of their freedom, families living with the fear of an execution, and a population whose repeated calls for international support have too often gone unanswered.
The conversation gave guests an opportunity to ask questions and develop a fuller understanding of Iran beyond the headlines. Although individual prisoners were not formally presented by name, the purpose remained specific: to explore how sustained advocacy for people at risk could help protect their lives.
The solidarity Iranians have been denied
George Miller, Amnesty International’s Victorian President, made a powerful contribution on the disparity between the support extended to Iranians and the mobilisation seen around other causes.
He expressed his astonishment at the lack of wider solidarity with Iranian Australian demonstrations seeking to draw attention to atrocities committed by the Islamic Republic. He also shared his assessment, as a human rights advocate, that the majority of Iranians want an end to the Islamic Republic.
His remarks spoke directly to an experience familiar to many in our community: the sense of calling for help, repeatedly and urgently, without being heard.
For ALSA, this is a profound failure of solidarity. Iranian people should not have to prove, again and again, that their lives, freedoms and aspirations deserve international attention. Decades of repression should have prompted a far stronger and more sustained response.
Moving beyond condemnation
Guests discussed the limitations of responses from the United Nations and Australian federal governments, including questions about Australia’s representation at the UN and the action pursued through those channels.
ALSA stressed that statements of condemnation must be followed by practical action. Expressions of concern offer little reassurance to a family facing the imminent execution of a loved one when they are not accompanied by sustained efforts to intervene.
This discussion continued the demands we raised at Mahsa Day: an end to appeasement of the Islamic Republic, an end to concessions and the normalisation of its abuses, and effective pressure to halt executions, end torture and secure the release of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
Those demands reflect ALSA’s position and our continuing advocacy. The dinner was an opportunity to explain their urgency and explore concrete avenues for action with our guests.
Making space for Iranian voices
The evening also addressed the narratives that shape public understanding of Iran and the barriers Iranian Australians encounter when trying to contribute to that understanding.
ALSA raised concerns about coverage by major Australian broadcasters, including ABC and SBS, and the difficulty of securing opportunities to share our community’s perspectives. We described experiences of being dismissed, met with hostility, or treated as though opposition to the Islamic Republic must arise from manipulation or allegiance to a foreign power.
Such responses deny Iranians the ability to speak for themselves about their own experiences and political aspirations. We called for greater curiosity, serious engagement and a willingness to hear perspectives that challenge familiar narratives.
We also challenged the assumption that standing with Palestinians requires support for the Islamic Republic. Concern for Palestinian lives and rights should never require silence about the repression of Iranians. Human rights advocacy must make room for both, without excusing abuses or dismissing the people subjected to them.
Political sponsorship and the next steps
Political sponsorship was discussed as one possible avenue for sustained involvement: taking an ongoing interest in an individual prisoner’s case, raising their circumstances with relevant colleagues and institutions, and supporting advocacy for their life and rights.
ALSA asked guests to consider what they could contribute within their current roles. For state parliamentarians and candidates, this included the possibility of bringing concerns to federal colleagues, helping arrange further briefings and exploring support within their parties.
No commitments to political sponsorship were made on the night. Guests indicated that they would take away the information provided and explore the implications and possibilities within their roles and party arrangements.
The evening therefore opened a conversation that requires follow-up. It helped broaden understanding and gave ALSA an opportunity to make the request directly. The measure of progress will be what follows.
Throughout the discussion, we returned to a simple point: even saving one life is worth the effort.
Thank you
We thank all our guests for joining us and engaging in an open and thoughtful conversation. Our particular thanks go to George Miller and Lobat Nezami for their contributions, ALSA President Sarah Parkhid and the organising team, and Mr Amir Ovaysi and the AliQapu team for their warm hospitality and continued support of the Iranian Australian community.
ALSA will continue pursuing these conversations, seeking practical support for prisoners at risk and insisting that Iranian voices be heard.
The people of Iran should not have to face this struggle alone. Their calls for freedom and protection deserve a response that extends beyond words.